Lion City Sailors Women readying for a fight in AFC Women’s Champions League

SINGAPORE – After a disappointing debut in the 2024-25 Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League (AWCL), the Lion City Sailors have beefed up their squad for what will hopefully be a smoother voyage in the regional competition.

In the last campaign, the Sailors were booted out of the preliminary stage after suffering 4-1 and 5-0 losses to Indian side Odisha FC and Jordanian team Etihad Club respectively.

This season, the Sailors – who won Singapore’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) from 2022 to 2024 – sailed through to the group stage with three wins in as many games in the preliminary stage, including a 2-0 victory over two-time Jordan Women’s Pro League champions Etihad.

Ahead of their group-stage games in Ho Chi Minh City, they have strengthened their squad with seven new signings – four foreign players from India, China and Japan, alongside three Singaporean footballers.

One of the foreign talents is 19-year-old midfielder Rivka Ramji, who previously played at Indian clubs Sethu FC and Kemp FC. She was also part of the Indian team who won the South Asian Football Federation Under-19 Women’s Championship last February.

She said: “In Singapore, we play a lot of quick passes and possession. In India, it was not as quick as it is over here.

“The intensity is way better here, at least at the club level.”

Joining Rivka in the middle of the pitch is Chinese player Zhang Qiaoling, with compatriot Wang Jiaxin and Japan’s Hikaru Shibusawa strengthening the team’s backline.

The three local players are: former Geylang International goalkeeper Alysha Nasrina, defender Irsalina Irwan – who has been promoted from sister team Mattar Sailors – and former Hougang United forward Nicole Lim.

The Sailors will kick off their Group A campaign against Australian giants and 2024 runners-up Melbourne City at the Thong Nhat Stadium on Nov 13.

They will then play Ho Chi Minh City on Nov 16 and the Philippines’ Stallion Laguna three days later.

Twelve teams will compete in three groups across three cities – Ho Chi Minh City, Wuhan and Yangon – with the top two from each group qualifying for the March 22-23 quarter-finals, along with two of the best third-placed sides. The semi-finals and final will be played from May 21 to 23.

Lim, who returns to the Sailors after making her WPL debut with the side in 2022, said competing in the tournament is “an opportunity that comes once in a blue moon”.

The 23-year-old added: “The fact that LCS has many foreign players is very good. It raises the level, not just in LCS, but also in Singapore. When local players mingle with the foreign players, the playing standard increases.”

Sailors head coach Daniel Ong said: “Signing players from abroad with greater experience, technical and tactical ability will not only boost the team’s overall performance but also help our local players understand the level of football they must elevate themselves to.”

He is also hopeful that the new signings can provide a boost in their clash against group favourites Melbourne City.

“Even though they are tough opponents, we can still try to compete and focus on what we can do,” he said.

“Melbourne City is definitely the favourite (to progress) in our group, they’re the finalists for last year’s edition.

“I believe our girls will definitely put up a good fight and not give up no matter the scoreline. We will give it a fight and not back down.”

In other AFC Women’s Champions League action, forward Danelle Tan made history on Nov 12, when she became the first Singaporean to score in the tournament.

The 21-year-old scored the only goal in Japanese champions Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza’s 1-0 win over Group C opponents and 2024 Myanmar Women’s League winners ISPE FC.

Tan scored in the 13th minute with a sublime near-post volley at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon. It was also her first goal for Tokyo Verdy since joining the club in July.